Batten-strip.



MARTIN Il. HUNKER, 0F WHEELING,

MENTS, TO WHITAKER-GLESSNER CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- COMPANY, OF W'HEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, A

BATTEN-STRIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1916. Serial No. 82,360.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN L. IIUNKER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Wheeling, county of Ohio, and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Batten-Strips, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to batten strips of that character employed for closing or covering the cracks in the walls of barns and other buildings wherein plain unjointed weatherboarding is used.

he primary object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal hatten strip which will readily yield under expansion stresses placed thereon by the separation of the boards due to the shrinkage or seasoning of the latter.

A further object is to provide a device of the character mentioned wherein no sharp or abrupt angles are presented and which, consequently, is not liable, either in the process of manufacture or under the expansion strains to which it is subjected in use, to have the protective coating thereof ruptured so as to unduly hasten its deterioration.

A still further object is to provide a batten strip having lateral edge portions designed to yieldably seat upon the weatherboarding to provide seals whereby wind, rain and snow are effectually eXcluded.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the features of construction which will be described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an outer face view of the invention; j

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same,

i applied; and- Fig. 3 is a similar section illustrating a slightly modied form.

In said drawings, l and 2 cent boards, and 3 the intervening opening or crack, which latter ordinarily varies in width throughout its length even when the boards are originally placed, due to warping or unequal seasoning of the wood. This crack usually widens as the wood further seasons, thus requiring that the batten strip fastened to the boards for closing the crack be eXpansible to accommodate itindicate adjaself to the fastenings.

I am aware that various forms of sheetmetal batten strips have heretofore been devised, among which is one having a tongue of double thickness formed along its median line, said tongue having its component members in engagement throughout and being designed to seat in the crack between adjacent boards and adapted to have its said members separate under the stress imposed thereon by the shrinkage and consequent separation of the boards, the distance of separation of said members equaling the increment of shrinkage. This form of strip is objectionable for the reason that it frequently happens, especially when the weatherboarding is' newly placed, that the boards so closely engage or abut in places that it is impossible to introduce the tongue in the position which it is intended to ocincreasing distance between its cupy. The present invention is designed to obviate the above noted objection inherent in the strip referred to, as also certain objectionable features which exist in various other forms of batten strips.

The strip constituting the preferred form' of the present invention is shaped to provide a central longitudinal inverted arch t of catenary form, the crown of which is designed to rest equally upon the edges of the boards l and 2 at opposite sides of the crack 3, as shown in Fig. 2. The opposite in` clined walls of the arch terminate in, or merge with, outwardly facing parallel ribs or beads 5 of substantially semi-circular form. The metal at the outer side of each rib is inclined laterally and inwardly with respect to the boards, inclined wings 6 being thus formed which meet the boards at a considerable distance from the crack 3; thence flat panels 7 are formed for resting upon said boards and through which attaching nails 8 are driven for securing the strip in place. An outwardly facing bead 9 is preferably formed at each of the outer lateral edges of the strip, said bead merging at one side with the outer edge of the panel 7. he opposite side of said bead, which constitutes the terminal edge of the strip, is directed inward at a right angle to the board and terminates in a plane slightly inward with respect to the plane of the panels 7. Therefore, when the strip is Patented May 315, i917.'

` at opposite sides of the intervening crack,

the catenary arch referred to being distorted by the provision of a reversely turned, or outwardly facing, median rib 1l at the crown of said arch.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the b'atten strip is wholly devoid of objectionable sharp or abrupt bends or angles in the formation of which the metal coating would be liable to injury so that it would subsequently peel off. apparent that the strip possesses a form of pleasing appearance and that, instead of marring the surface to which it is applied,

it enhances or ornamentssuch surface.

It will be noted that the portion of the inturned arch which engages the edges of the crack between adjacent boards is a comparatively flat curve never sharper than that of a catenary of the same span, and this permits of a close contact of the edges of the crown with the edges of the boards, while the comb or crest of the arch protrudes but very slightly within the space between the boards. rllhis causes the .Inoveinent of the edges of the boards toward and from each other to have Very little effect upon the pressure of the arch upon the edges of the boards.

The wings 6 being longer and their inclination flatter than that of the inclined sides of the inturned arch, causes any action Copies of ythis patent may be obtained foi` ve cents each, by addressing the lt will further be,

tending to close the inturned arch to, tend to withdraw its crown from between the edges of the board while an opposite action tending to spread the inturned arch will tend to thrust its crown further in between the edges of the board, and the flat curve of the crown of the arch is designed to approximately compensate for the shifting of the crown inward or outward, above described by the tilting of the yinclined sides 6 and thus maintain a substantially uniform pressure of the edges of the crown of the inturned arch on the edges of the boards.

Also for a commensurate span of the inturned arch or of the correlated crack between the boards, less metal is required for a strip of myy form than if the inturned arch or fold of the metal projected substantially in between the boards. The flat curve of the arch cro-wn engaging the edges ofthe boards also maintains a more constant pres sure than would a fold of the metal formed in back of such edges.

What is claimed is A hatten strip composed of sheet-metal shaped to form a central longitudinal arch of inverted form, the crown of said arch being designed to restupon adjacent boards at opposite sides of an intervening crack, inwardly inclined wings extending laterally from the extremities of the opposite side walls of said arch and joining the latter through. a regular curve, and flat panels located laterally of said wings and vdisposed in the plane of the crown of said arch for seating upon said boards.

In testimony whereof, l affix my signature in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

MARTiN L. HUNKER;

Witnesses:

H. E. DUNLAP, W. F. KEMER. j

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

